Taste of the West: Food and Drink of the South West
A little bit about them
Taste of the (south) west is the largest independent regional food group in the UK, covers the counties of Devon, Cornwall, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire, aiming to support ‘fantastic’ local food and drink. It has been running for 30 years and since 1991 have been championing the buy and eat local ethos. It boasts a membership that includes restaurants, pubs, food and drink producers and specialist retailers.
They have a wide range of categories from Baked goods, meat and poultry, dairy to beer, cider, wine and of course (luckily for us) Spirits. Not only is this an amazing place for all these local producers and business to be celebrated but also to come together and connect with each other and find out what other things are out there in the local area.
Where we come in
We recently received a Gold Award for both our special Edition Gins, Summer snap and Kimchi. Similarly in 2020 our 3 classic Gins where given gold awards, which was simply amazing! Its so special to us to be recognised by such a large group that appreciate local produce.
It has been an amazing experience for Twisting Spirits not only have we been included in the list of awarded produce but also have been included in a community of excellent food and drink from the southwest and had the exciting opportunity to with retailers who found us through Taste of the West. For example we’ve recently started working with A Little of What you fancy who found us through the 2021 Awards.
What they have said about us!
2020 Awards
Kaffir Lime and Lemongrass
The judges LOVED the branding. The bottle design is great. They appreciated the botanicals being listed. Fabulous aroma with both the kaffir lime and the lemongrass prominent but the subtle spice from the Tonka, pepper and orange is also there. It smells very nice indeed. Clear and clean as expected – no issues. A nice warmth and a good length with no undesirable flavours in the finish. A delicious well-balanced flavour. The restrained use of Tonka, lavender and cardamom makes for a well-rounded gin that emphasises the key botanicals of kaffir lime and lemongrass. This is an excellent gin. The judges loved the bottle design and how it shared the composition of the botanicals. The gin tasted great and reflected the botanicals listed on the bottle. Spot on!
Earl Grey
The judges LOVED the branding. The bottle design is great. They appreciated the botanicals being listed.
A lovely, enticing aroma of bergamot with lovely citrus notes. It’s great! Clear and clean as expected – no issues. An excellent high-quality spirit with great length and a very flavoursome finish with a distinctive and classic Earl Grey flavour.
A brilliant, clever gin which is well-balanced – a very grown up cup of black tea with a slice of lemon. Delivers on all the key botanicals.
Douglas-Fir
The judges LOVED the branding. The bottle design is great. They appreciated the botanicals being listed.
A very nice botanical aroma. Herby with definite fir notes – almost earthy but with a gentle floral citrus to it. Clear and clean as expected – no issues. A good and gentle viscosity to it. A very interesting finish with definite gentle pine-needle and herbal notes. Really good! Well-balanced with no one botanical overpowering another. Overall, it’s great!
An intriguing and unusual very pleasant gin which cleverly reflects the botanicals used.
2021 Awards
Kimchi
Lovely modern bottle with great label. Good information supplied.
Lovely aroma – spicy, sweet and just like Kimchi. Very enticing. Perfectly clean and clear. It’s a touch thin but has an enjoyable lengthy finish. Lovely! Great spice, lovely peppery notes and it tastes just like kimchi.
Makes an excellent martini!! An innovative, delicious gin. Kimchi was awarded Gold.
Summer Snap
Excellent visual labelling. Pleasing to look at and really good information given. Great aroma. A good base of gin enhanced with excellent aromas from cucumber and peas! A lovely ‘green’ attack which is very pleasing and tempting to taste. Perfectly clean and clear.Good, complex flavours as stipulated. Well-structured with a lovely length and finish. Very good balance of stipulated ingredients and it’s great on its own – slightly tempered down on ice. Doesn’t really require a mixer but would be good with perhaps soda and slices of fruit. It’s delicious.This is a very good product with an amazing balance of all the flavours. Summer Snap
We are really passionate about our gins and love being part of a local network of like minded businesses that feel the same! We’ve written about some fantastic local businesses on our blog that we think you should know about, we’ve also got some delicious cocktail recipes up there so check those out too!
We also love a recommendation, if anyone has any local favorites that we haven’t mentioned yet, do let us know in the comments below!
